Boran brilliance helps Kildare minor hurlers into quarter-finals

Electric Minor Hurling Championship Pre-Quarter Final

Kildare 1-20

Westmeath 1-17

Kildare minor hurlers progressed to the quarter-final stage with a brilliant win over Westmeath in Manguard Park.

The visitors would get the game’s opening score after 20 seconds through full-forward Cormac McKeogh.

Kildare responded in fine style through perhaps the best performer on the day Tom Boran. The Naas wing-forward was a livewire on the evening and despite being tightly marked by his opposite number, he did superbly to score on five occasions.

The first team to put two scores together was Westmeath when Kian Loughlin and Padraig Casey put their side 0-5 to 0-3 ahead after 13 mins.

Tom Boran would reply for the Lilies to the count of two as the sides were brought back to level terms.

Padraig Casey edged the visitors one clear before the first green flag of the afternoon was raised.

Kildare’s star-man this year has been Tom Power, but the Maynooth forward had been quiet to that point. That was until he superbly slipped Cian McGrath through on goal, McGrath hit the net in fine style too as he rifled the ball into the roof of the net. 

The goal put the Lilies two clear after 20 minutes of this game. Kildare would not rest on their laurels either as they notched the next two points of this game. Those scores came from Oisin O’Neill, who made a sudden burst forward and an exceptional long-ranger from Ciarán Dunne, scoring from his own ‘65.

Two Westmeath points would be followed by a couple more from the home side as they did their best to maintain their three point lead. Both of those Kildare scores can be credited to the diligent defensive work of Cappagh man Darragh Devine.

Devine won a turnover in the middle of the field to set up Oran Byrne and less than 60 seconds later turned over possession again to set up Ciarán Dunne for his second point of the game.

Kildare led by four and all appeared to be rosey for Adrian Kinsella’s side as the game approached half-time.

Westmeath would come roaring back into this tie just before the break when Cormac McKeogh rolled Joey McNulty to get himself through on goal. The Raharney full-forward made no mistake in finding the net and the side’s went in at the break with Kildare leading 1-9 to 1-8.

A disappointing end to the first half was not carried into the second as Tom Boran hit two brilliant scores straight after the restart. The vital nature of those two super scores would only become more apparent as this game wore on. The Lilies maintained the three-point lead that Boran’s scores gave them for the remainder of the tie.

Kildare’s bench would play a vital role in their closing out of this game as each of the men brought in made their presence felt.

Conor O’Brien would raise a white flag just moments after entering the field as he restored that all important three-point lead with 42 minutes gone.

O’Brien would combine with another Kildare substitute, Fionn Frisby, six minutes later to push The Lilies further clear.

Westmeath would reduce the gap to two as the game crossed into added time.

Frisby would also register the game's final point  as Kildare ran out 1-20 to 1-17 winners and secured a quarter-final spot.

MAIN MAN

Tom Boran

The Naas forward's exceptional scoring could have won him this award on all its own, but those points came in vital moments too. Boran was tightly marked throughout, but got shots away under pressure and rarely missed his mark.

TURNING POINT

Kildare led 1-9 to 1-8 at the break following the concession of a goal late into the first half. The Lilies came out firing for the second and two Boran scores gave them a three-point lead that they would never relinquish for more than a couple of minutes for the remainder of this game.

TALKING POINT

Minor sides are of course indications for the future, and that being established there appears to be serious quality in this Kildare side. The likes of Ciarán Dunne, Darragh Devine and Oran Byrne have all made their presence felt this year.

WHAT NOW?

Kildare now progress to the quarter-final stage of this year's Minor Hurling Championship, where they face Kilkenny in Hawkfield at 1pm on May 11 .

Scorers: Kildare, Tom Boran 0-5, Tom Power 0-5 (0-4 frees), Cian McGrath 1-0,  Ciarán Dunne 0-2, Paddy Kennedy 0-2, Fionn Frisby 0-2, Oran Byrne 0-1, Oisin O'Neill 0-1, Conor O'Brien 0-1, Conall Knox 0-1.

Westmeath, Kian Loughlin 0-7 (0-7 frees), Cormac McKeogh 1-4, Padraig Casey 0-3, Eoin Meehan 0-1, Ryan Williams 0-1, Marc Davis 0-1.

KILDARE: Fionn Kelly; Darragh Devine, Conall Knox, Joey McNulty; Colm Gordon, Ciarán Dunne, Oisin O'Neill; Oran Byrne, Odhrán Conaty; Tom Boran, Paddy Kennedy, Ronan O'Malley; Cian McGrath, Michael Owens, Tom Power. Subs: Conor O'Brien for Odhrán Conaty (40 minutes), Fionn Frisby for Cian McGrath (45 minutes), Sean McLoughlin for Ronan O'Malley (49 minutes).

WESTMEATH: Cathal Óg Fagan; Dara Mulligan, Mikey Weir, Aaron Flanagan; Ben McNamee, Sean Hayes, Darragh Kenny; Cody Ward, Finn Higgins; Dylan Corrigan, Padraig Casey, Eoin Meehan; Kian Loughlin, Cormac McKeogh, Ryan Williams. Subs: Oisín McCauley for Ben McNamee (40 minutes), Cian Fleming for Finn Higgins (49 minutes), Marc Davis for Dylan Corrigan (52 minutes), Dillon Burke for Kian Loughlin (55 minutes).

Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)